Improvement in machines for punching boiler-plates



Dew. C. CARROLL, U. ROGERS &A, 'W. FDSTER, Ir,

Machine for Punching Boiler-Plates, No. |'54,-573 Pafenwd1une22,-1a75.

UNITED STATES NPATENT QEEILCE.

DE lVI'lT O. CARROLL AND DAVID ROGERS, OF PITTSBURG, AND ALEXANDER W. FOSTER, JR., OF TEMPERANOEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR PUNCHING BOILER-PLATES.

Specification forming part of Leiters Patent No! 164,673, dated June 22, 1875; application filed April 16, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DE WITT O. OAR- RoLL and DAVID ROGERS, ot' Pittsburg, and ALEXANDER W. FOSTER, Jr., of Temperanceville, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Feeding-Machine for lunching Boilerllate, and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specication, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure l is a top or plan view of the machine without the feed table or carriage and its attachments. Fig. 2 is an inverted or bottom view of such feed table or carriage and its attachments. Fig. 3 is anrend view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a sectional view in the line :c oc, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 illustrates by diagram the relationship ot' the adjustable pawl to the rack-teeth.

[n the punching of sheet-metalplates for boilers, tanks, and similar uses theline of rivetholes along the edge of the sheet is sometimes required to be straight, sometimes curved, and curved to diiferent radiuses. Also great exactness isrequired, not only in the alignment of the holes, whether straight or curved, but also in the distances between holes.

Our machine is chieily designed to facilitate the attainmentot these two ends-viz., a ready and correct alignment of the rivet holes, whether straight or curved, and with any desired radius of curvature, and also exactness in the distances between holes, with any desired variation in such distances.

The frame-work of the machine may be of any desired construction, with longitudinal track or guide rails BB1 suitably connected by cross-bars B2. The punching apparatus, as it does not form any part ot our present invention, is not shown in the drawing; but such apparatus, of any suitable form or construe' tion, is to be attached to, or arranged in connection with, our improved machine, with reference to punching the rivet-holes as the plate is fed into place, such construction or arrangement in similar machines being already well known in the art.

At D we have shown the traveling feed table or carriage. An inclined adjustable guiderail is shown at b resting upon, and, when the machine is in operation, firmly attached to, the crossbars B2, and tixedly attached to such cross-bars B?, is a rack-bar, a', having therein a series of ratchet-teeth, a, at any desired distances apart, but preferably a distance equal, or about equal, to the most usual distance desired between rivet-holes, such distance on the bar being' measured in the line of feed or travel. This rack-bar a is arranged on, and attached to, the cross-bars B2 in the general direction ofthe line of feed, and somewhat oblique or inclined thereto, say, at an angle of about forty-live degrees, more or less. A feeding motion is given to the carriage or table D by means of a rack, c, and pinion c.

Either ot' the rails B B1 may be employed as a main guide-rail; but, as shown in the drawing, the rail B is so employed, the rollers c e on the other rail, B1, being simply bearingrollers.

For the purpose of regula-ting the line of feed, and consequently the alignment of the rivet-holes, we attach to the under side of the feed-table l) three inverted U-shaped guides, s S182, of which s s1 play on the| main guiderail B, and one, s2, on the adjustable rail b. The middle guide s1 is attached in such manner that the table or carriage D may turn thereon in a horizontal plane, as on a pivot. The stem, by which the forward guide s is attached, plays in a transverse slot, d, so that while the table is guided, supported, and steadied thereby in its forward travel, its forward end will be free to turn laterally on the stem of the guide s1 as a pivot. The rear guide s2 plays on the oblique guide-rail b, and, as a consequence thereof, the rear end of the table will with the feed be thrown laterally to or from the rail B, and hence, thus giving a new direction to the feed between each two rivet-holes, will cause the sheet-metal plate, which is fastened on top ot' the table D, to present a curved line for punching to the punch, and thereby secure a curved arrangement or alignment of rivet-holes; and the radius of curvature in such alignment may be varied at pleasure by increasing or lessening 2 minces the obliquity of the rail b, and this is effected. by means of a screw-bolt and slot, b', or by other known suitable means. To provide, however, for the change of position which is thus eifected in the toothed rack c, we combine therewith a shrouded pinion, c1, which is free to slide back and forth on its driving-shaft c2, and which has a flange on each end Hush with the exterior of its teeth, so that the ends of the teeth on the rack c shall, by bearing against such flanges, canse it to shift position either way, as may be necessary.

The pinion c1 should be secured to its shaft c2 by a key or feather, or like means or may play on pins c3 passing` through it, the ends of the pins being secured to collars c4, which are fixed onthe shaft c2 far enough apart to allow the desired range of motion in the pinion c1; or, as a mechanical equivalent of this arrangement, a long pinion may be employed. y

ln order now to vary at pleasure the distance between the rivet-holes, or, what is the same thing in e'ect, to vary the length of feed or motion in the table D, we pivot to the under side of the table a block, or arm, g, so that the same ma-y swing or turn freely in a horizontal plane. To one end ofthis block we pivot loosely a verticallyswinging pawl, h, which, by passing or being carried over a tooth, a., when the table is .moving one way, shall permit of a forward feed, but by dropping from, or by in any way engaging a tooth, shall either arrest the feed or indicate the point at which it is to be arrested preliminary to punching another rivet-hole; and this pawl should be made as long as, or longer than, the transverse side of a rectangle, of which the line of teeth a is the diagonal. In the opposite end of the block g we insert vertically a rocking shaft, n, through a tapped eye in which we pass a screw-stem, m, which, passing through the side bar of the table D, shall be held as against a longitudinal motion, and, hence, on being turned, will cause the block g to turn on its pivot By this means the pawl h is shifted in position so as to stand directly transverse, or at right angles, to the line of teeth ct, or at any desired acute angle to such line. In the former case the distance between the teeth in t-he line of feed will give the distance between the rivet-holes, and such distance between the rivet-holes will be lesscned accordingly as the engaging edge of the pawl is brought to an angle more and more acute to the line of the teeth. Thus the distance between rivet-holes may be regulated at pleasure.

This variable length of feed, with the varying angle of the pawl, will, perhaps, bc more readily understood on reference to Fig. 5, where the distances between parallel lines indic-ate the length of feed where the pawl stands at the angles indicated by such lines.

Instead of the inverted U-shaped guides s s1 s2 grooved rollers, or other equivalent device, may be employed.

The sheet or plate to be punched is fastened on the table D by T-head bolts entering the grooves d', or by other equivalent means, the edge of the sheet, however, projecting' over the edge of the table far enough to pass under thel punch.l To run the table back after a line of punching is comple-te, it is only necessary to carry the pawl clear of the teeth, which may be done by a cord, lr, or other suitable means.

We claim Vas our invention- 1. The feed-table D and the driving mechanism for imparting to the table a forward motion on the main guide-rail, in combination with a guide attached to said table, and playing on an inclined guide-rail for giving the table a swinging motion in its forward travel, substantially as set forth.

2. A pinion, moving laterally on its drivingshaft, in combination with a toothed rack and horizon tally-swin gin gfeed-table, substantially as set forth.

3. A toothed rack-bar, fixedly secured in place, in combination with a pivoted pawl, whereby the angle of the engaging edge of the pawl with the line of the rack-teeth may, by the adjustment of the pawl, be varied a pleasure, substantially as set forth.

4. The vertically-swinging pawl h, attached to, and in combination with, a horizontallyswinging block, g, and with suitable devices for setting the latter at any desired point of adjustment, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

DE WITT O. CARROLL. DAVID ROGERS. ALEX. W. `FOSTER, JR. Witnesses:

JAMES M. CHRISTY, J No. D. PATTEN. 

